The Fruit Ninja
by The Ink Ninja
Summary: A little story I wrote exploring the true nature and tradition of destroying fruit in a suspenseful story about one man's rite of passage.


**A/N: Before I stopped writing for a few weeks, I decided to write a short little story. I wrote it mainly because there are almost no other Fruit Ninja stories out there. Hope you enjoy it, see you in a couple of weeks!**

The sun gleamed off of the silver blade. Sweat dripped off of Sodo's forehead. Years of training had prepared him for this very moment. The crowd stared at Sodo in awe from the bleachers. Or more specifically, they stared at the sword that he had chosen for this. He could have used any sword in the arsenal. From ruby red to shadow black. And yet, he chose the simple silver blade.

Sodo was aware of the crowds confusion and amazement. But he did not feel shame for picking this blade. For this was the blade that he had first used while training for this. Sure he had used other blades after, but this was what he had begun with, and this is what he would end it all with. And with that ending, would be a new beginning. Only when that new beginning came would he take up another blade in place of this one.

As Sodo's sensei walked into the arena, the crowds murmurs died down.

"This young man has trained hard in my dojo for years," Sensei spoke out. His voice sounded like the same voice of most elderly people, but his voice possessed a certain quality of confidence. As if he knew that he could cut any of them down if he wanted to. "He has grown strong and learned the way of the blade as many of you have under my guidance. And now, he stands here today to prove to all of you that his training has not been in vain."

Sodo realized that Sensei was building suspense deliberately, making a big show of something fairly minor that would be over quite soon. Sensei had used this very same tactic on Sodo to get him excited about his training. By now, Sodo recognized the technique and was not fooled by it, but everyone in the crowd, including students that had studied under Sensei, leaned forward in their seats, waiting for this event to begin. But Sensei decided to build the suspense even more.

"His challenge today," Sensei took up once more. Everybody knew what the challenge was, but Sensei loved to repeat things, if only to annoy people. "Is to do a good old fashioned classic round of combat against fruit. He must strike two hundred pieces of fruit before he has dropped three fruit or hit a bomb. If he succeeds, he will dine on the corpses of his fallen enemies. If not, he will go hungry tonight, and not be able to retake this test for another year."

Sodo knew this already, but still his forehead developed more beads of sweat at the sound of it. He had to do this, if he was to ever gain the respect of the rest of the villagers, and the respect of himself.

"So now, without further ado," Sensei said, trying to add as much "ado" as he could to this final sentence. "Let the challenge begin."

At these four words, Sodo's mind went into auto mode. He slashed at the fruit that flew into his vision. He neatly avoided any bombs that came up. He slashed three at once. His blade tore into a strawberry, the juice staining the wooden wall and his blade. He slashed and slashed at the fruit, and then, a fruit dropped out of the air, unscathed by his blade. One strike was added.

This did not discourage Sodo. He still had two more strikes until he was out. He was at one hundred points. His blade gleamed in the sunlight. Sweat gathered on his brow. His arms grew tired, but still he hacked and slashed on. And then, another fruit fell.

At this, Sodo's forehead creased. This couldn't be happening. He already had two strikes and only one hundred fifty points. He couldn't let another fruit drop. Sodo start striking the fruit with his blade more furiously than ever. Halves of fruits fell to the ground, six at a time, seven at a time. And then, in his furious sword slashing, Sodo realized that his blade was moving towards bomb!

It was as if the world was moving in slow motion. His blade gleamed slowly in the sunlight as it moved slowly towards the bomb which slowly moved towards his sword. Sodo was only at one hundred seventy-five. Sodo needed a miracle. And then, a miracle happened. As his blade slowly approached the bomb, the famed dragon fruit floated out of nowhere. Sodo grinned wide, the crowd gasped. He tried to redirect his blade toward the fruit, but everything was moving so slow, but now the bomb was moving fast! Sodo used all of his might, the bomb was closing in, the dragon fruit was near too. Sodo squeezed his eyes shut, expecting that when he opened them the crowd would be booing at him furiously.

But when he opened his eyes, he saw not a booing crowd, but a cheering one! Sodo looked at the ground to see the dragon fruit split clean in two. The proctor came into the arena to take the juice stained blade from Sodo for cleaning. Sodo did not resist. Once more, the world seemed as if it was moving in slow motion. But this time, it was caused by happiness, not despair.

Over the next few months, Sodo worked as an official ninja. He still took lessons from Sensei, but now he was developing his own techniques. On the day that Sensei died, the old man bequeathed his beloved bamboo blade unto Sodo. Sodo treasured it himself until the day he died. But before that time came, he took charge of Sensei's dojo and taught other students and prepared them for their day of testing.

But all of that is in the future, and Sodo was happy to be where he was: celebrating his triumph and excited to finally be a true ninja.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! On a side note, Sodo is Japanese for sword. By the way, check out my blog at . !**


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